This invention relates to reclining chairs, and more particularly to a reclining chair having a detachable leg rest.
A reclining chair generally takes on one of two forms. In a two-way chair, the seat and back are rigidly connected. Consequently, when moving from an upright position to a fully reclined position, the leg rest rises and the seat/back tilts backward. In a three-way chair, the back is pivoted to the seat. Thus, in moving from an upright position to a fully reclined position, there is an additional tilt in the back relative to the seat.
A particularly advantageous reclining chair is one that is motorized. In prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,836, a motorized reclining chair is disclosed which is controlled by a single reversible motor. The chair permits leg rest motion to take place without seat/back motion until the leg rest is raised to an intermediate position; three-way operation can be provided at minimal cost; and when moving to the fully reclined position, the entire seat rises, with the front edge rising more than the rear edge. In this chair, a motive force is provided by an upwardly thrusting shaft controlled by the motor.
Although the chair described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,836 solves a number of problems in the industry, it nevertheless leaves one problem unsolved. Since the leg rest of a reclining chair--motorized or manual--is permanently fixed to an extender linkage, some consumers could fear that the chair poses safety problems. If a child, for example, places an arm behind the leg rest, between the leg rest and the front of the chair, the child may be injured if the chair is accidently moved from the reclined position to the upright position. Pets could pose a similar problem. The problem is more apparent with a motorized chair; the consuming public could be afraid of what an "unstoppable" motor may do.